Monday, February 26, 2018

Halfway Reflection


Assignment 14A
1.    In order to fulfill the requirements of this course, I have to utilize effective time management skills and practice prioritizing. In order to be timely and efficient, I usually give myself 30 minutes to work on an assignment, and then I give myself half the time for a break. In this case, the break would be 15 minutes long. In terms of prioritizing, I try to get my work done way before the deadline and do the most urgent work first. I included an infographic below that I feel offers some really great tips for time management skills. While they may be easier said than done, they are so important. The image is not mine. *Please click on the image to read it clearer.*

2.    When I was faced with the assignment to read a book about an entrepreneur and describe the entrepreneur’s strengths and approach to challenges, I felt overwhelmed. Although I knew I would have to read a book since the beginning of the semester, I wasn’t proactive in buying the book and reading it, leaving it to that week to read and complete the assignment. Writing this, I noticed that the reason I became so stressed during this project was because I exhibited the opposite of the first two traits I described – I didn’t manage my time well at all and did not prioritize this assignment and should have ordered the book at the beginning of the semester.
3.    The three skills I would offer to students who are trying to foster tenacious skills and/or develop a tenacious mindset are to believe in yourself despite others, set realistic and ambitious goals (yes, it is possible for these to be one in the same), and think positively. I found that even if you don’t believe in the positive thoughts you are telling yourself at first, you may come to believe in them more and more as you practice this.


Friday, February 23, 2018

Reading Reflection


Assignment 13A
For this assignment, I read Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance. I was surprised, for some reason, at Musk’s level of commitment to his projects. The companies he founded, Tesla and SpaceX, have become his greatest accomplishments. He commits fully to making the most sustainable automobiles he can, with Tesla, while striving to understand how to expand human life and consciousness to another planet, with SpaceX. His determination towards his goals is what I admire most about him, although it could have some downsides. That same determination could translate into stubbornness that blinds him from pursuing different options or different goals. Like any successful entrepreneur, Musk has encountered failure. Many of his early endeavors crashed and burned, including the early form of what is known today as PayPal. Instead of letting his failures bring him down, he used them to empower him and kept on going.  Some competencies of his are his determination toward his goals and the passion that drives him. A part of the reading that was confusing to me was the way it would sometimes mention some of his endeavors and then not go into detail about them. If I could ask two question to Musk, I would ask: Where do you see technology going in the next 50 years? If your plans for these companies didn’t work out, what would your backup plans be? Musk’s opinion of hard work is that it is essential to achieving your goal. I share this view as well.